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Content Scrapers (Patreon)

Published:
2019-10-16 13:55:32
Imported:
2021-10

Content

So I've never made a big deal about piracy, it's something that happens. Some people aren't interested in spending money on things like creators/adult content. Some people are are vehemently against supporting/paying to see art/writing/content/games/etc. The "tip jar" argument is common, the idea that all content should be given out for free, and people that like it can tip via things like Patreon. I've also seen how things like Patreon have made a pretty amazing difference for creators out there, leading to more and better stuff. It's not really an argument I want to be involved in directly, I'm too busy working on AW anyway! :D

I also would like to point out that I have promised to continue to release the public version for free, and that I've been pretty generous when it comes to people that can't afford to contribute or have other issues, but still want to play the latest version, as long as they say something about it. (It can also be a great way to get people involved in testing or helping out!)

While I've never been particularly interested in wasting dev time on pointlessly trying to stop people from sharing the game in forums or random parts of the internet, things have begun to change. Certain websites have sprung up that use cookies or other methods to scrape (download) all the paid content that certain users that provide the information have access to. The websites provide access to tons of paid content very easily, without any real knowledge required. These sites generally exist for the same reason any other piracy resource does, but I did see a nicer site that seemed to be trying to profit off it.

My suggestion is that I'd like to start password protecting the .zip archive that contains the game file, and distributing that password via Patreon message each month. This basically stops scraping from working without extra steps to share the password. The passwords would also be available on Discord for new patrons in special channels. It's basically a really simple measure to implement, but it does involve an extra step for you guys.

Because of that, I wanted to see how you felt about it.

Comments

Anonymous

What it boils down to is theft of intellectual property...namely.your work, your ideas and your vision. Lock the doors, and give out a key only to those who are deserving (ie customers, patrons, etc). It is a good, basic solution to an ever increasing problem.

BL4DE

I'm fine with a password. BUT it won't stop piracy in any way, shape or form. At least one of the pirates supplier or the actual pirate is patreon supporter and thus you will provide the pirates with the means to circumvent piracy measures. As far as I can see you can't reliably combat piracy without combating the actual fans and supporters sadly. The AAA gaming industry is searching a reliable way for decades. Fruitlessly.

Anonymous

I'm with BL4DE on this. The only thing a password like this would do is stop the scraping from working, but since the source is a patron, they'd have the password, and it'd be trivial for them to be able to circumvent this protection measure. On the other hand I'm really annoyed by most DRM schemes, so would prefer one not to be added, if you think that stopping the automated scraping is helping you, then that's not too big of an annoyance for us to put up with.

Horny Rhino

I recently stopped supporting (couldn't afford the Cheat version, and didn't like dieing due to mental issues in game) But I kinda like this idea, if scraping IS the issue, it'll work... If it's a patreon that's doing this... A. You're a Scummy Bastard that needs to stop... B. You could always make it so the download encrypts to the downloaders PC/device... (idk how it would be done, Only that it can bee done)

thaumx

Thanks for the comments guys. I don't think a password would really do much except make things more of a pain for the content scraping websites. They're typically automated, without much support for sharing text or notes, so it'd just add to the effort needed to share paid versions of the game through those channels. I'm well aware that there's basically no way to prevent people from sharing, but sometimes making the process just a little more difficult is all it takes.

Colonel Overkill

While I agree that it wont stop it I disagree in that it would be pointless. The patron will indeed have access to the password, etc, but it may have a trickle down effect. The original site may have the password, but it will inconvenience the pirates and with multiple versions and passwords it will be annoying as hell to keep up with the password and version especially if it is a secondary source. I honestly believe it will do no more than annoy any pirates, but it will annoy them more than it would me. That alone is worth it in my opinion, so I say go for it.

helvorn

I love your content and gladly contribute to it. A password for the files is no big deal IMO.